SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 09: The bottom of the Artemis Racing AC-72 catamaran is seen in the water at Hangar 3 at Treasure Island on May 9, 2013 in San Francisco, California. British sailor Andrew Simpson, a member of the Swedish America's Cup racing team died when he was submerged underwater for 10 minutes after the team's racing boat capsized on the San Francisco Bay. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 09: The bottom of the Artemis Racing AC-72 catamaran is seen in the water at Hangar 3 at Treasure Island on May 9, 2013 in San Francisco, California. British sailor Andrew Simpson, a

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 09: The wreckage of the Artemis Racing AC-72 catamaran is seen in the water at Hangar 3 at Treasure Island on May 9, 2013 in San Francisco, California. British sailor Andrew Simpson, a member of the Swedish America's Cup racing team died when he was submerged underwater for 10 minutes after the team's racing boat capsized on the San Francisco Bay. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 09: The wreckage of the Artemis Racing AC-72 catamaran is seen in the water at Hangar 3 at Treasure Island on May 9, 2013 in San Francisco, California. British sailor Andrew Simpson,

The Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran, an America's Cup entry from Sweden, lies capsized after flipping over during training in San Francisco Bay on Thursday, May 9, 2013, in San Francisco. Artemis Racing said Andrew "Bart" Simpson, an Olympic gold medalist from Great Britain, died after the capsized boat's platform trapped him underwater for about 10 minutes. Behind are the historic buildings of the Angel Island internment camp. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran, an America's Cup entry from Sweden, lies capsized after flipping over during training in San Francisco Bay on Thursday, May 9, 2013, in San Francisco. Artemis Racing said

The Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran, an America's Cup entry from Sweden, lies capsized after turning over during training in San Francisco Bay on Thursday, May 9, 2013, in San Francisco. Artemis Racing said Andrew "Bart" Simpson, an Olympic gold medalist from Great Britain, died after the capsized boat's platform trapped him underwater for about 10 minutes. The Golden Gate Bridge is in the background. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

The Artemis Racing AC72 catamaran, an America's Cup entry from Sweden, lies capsized after turning over during training in San Francisco Bay on Thursday, May 9, 2013, in San Francisco. Artemis Racing said

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"This tragic accident is an occasion for us to totally re-evaluate our participation in the Youth America's Cup," Klaus Lahme, the German team's sports director, said in a statement translated from German. "If tragedy comes to the world's best sailors, we want to avoid risking the health and Olympic ambitions of our athletes."

The Germans were one of five youth teams set to compete in the Red Bull Youth America's Cup, a new race that will parallel the 162-year-old America's Cup regatta. The national teams, made of sailors ages 19 to 24, race on 45-foot catamarans - a little more than half the size of the 72-foot boats the professional racers use.

The regatta "is a minor part of the whole show," said Andy Turpin, managing editor of the Bay Area sailing magazine Latitude 38. "But for the first time there is a youth race as part of the schedule. It was really trumpeting the main message that this is all about inspiring youth and young sailors."

Simpson, a strategist for the Swedish Artemis Racing team, died when his team's sailboat fell apart Thursday, trapping him underwater for at least 10 minutes. Simpson, a 36-year-old Briton, was pronounced dead on shore 20 minutes later. The cause of the wreck is under investigation.

Simpson was practicing on a souped-up boat capable of reaching 45 mph. Race organizers hoped the high-octane boats would attract a wider television audience.

But sailors have struggled with the large boats in the choppy bay waters. Team Oracle USA's $8 million catamaran was destroyed in October when it capsized and was swept out the Golden Gate.

German team organizers said they didn't think young sailors were ready to sail the 45-foot boats on the bay.

"The forces that act when sailing a ... racing catamaran are, even for professionals, hardly manageable," Oliver Schwall, the team's managing director, said in German. "The risk of an accident is constantly" there.

"Hopefully the America's Cup management takes this incident as the impetus to rethink the (race's) format and equipment," Schwall said.